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Tuesday, February 7, 2012

"...According to an informal survey of advertised global broadband speeds conducted by IDG publications around the world (IDG publishes Network World), East Asian countries boast some of the fastest advertised connections around, with four countries featuring at least one carrier claiming average download speeds of 100Mbps or higher...

"The leader of the pack is Hong Kong, with advertised broadband download speeds of a whopping 300Mbps and 300Mbps upload speeds to match. Other East Asia countries in the 100Mbps download club include Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, all of which have at least one ISP advertising those rates. Other countries that have ISPs advertising 100Mbps or higher speeds are Poland, Germany and Canada...

"What's even more impressive than some of the advertised speeds in many of the 100Mbps+ countries is the service prices. Hong Kong's 300Mbps service, for instance, costs just $40 a month and includes television service. Taiwan's 100Mbps service, meanwhile, costs $24 a month, while South Korea's costs $31 a month. In the United States, by contrast, 25Mbps Internet access will run you about $75 per month and doesn't include television...

"In terms of bang for the buck, Hong Kong came out on top in the informal survey when you look at cost per megabit (which we calculated by dividing the cost by the combined download and upload data rates). Hong Kong only charges six cents per megabit, followed by South Korea (16 cents per Mb), Taiwan (22 cents per Mb) and Bulgaria (27 cents per Mb). The United States' top service, meanwhile, charges $1.50 per megabit..."